Krishna Is Welcomed into Mathura: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana Manuscript

Date:

ca. 1520–40

Culture:

India (Delhi Agra area)

Medium:

Ink and opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions:

6 7/16 x 9 1/8 in. (16.4 x 23.2 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Gift of Doris Rubin, in memory of Harry Rubin, 1989

Accession Number:

1989.236.2

Not on view

The upper and lower registers illustrate Krishna’s entry into Mathura, where he will ultimately confront and kill the evil king Kamsa. The Bhagavata Purana describes at length the joyous welcome that he received, especially by the women of the town, who abandoned what they were doing and rushed to see him. The excitement of the moment is emphasized by the musicians in both registers and the appearance of Krishna three times in the lower register, embracing friends and gesturing to others who kneel at his feet and stand venerating the god, hands clasped in anjali mudra (a gesture of reverence).

Exhibition History

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Illustrations of the Bhagavata Purana," 1996.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Illustrated Manuscripts in India: Late 13th–early 17th Century," 2004.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Lyrical Visions: Paintings from North India," December 3, 2011–May 28, 2011.